Tomorrow Never Dies

Johnathan Pryce stars as the psychopathic media mogul, Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies
JK Rowling has managed to have one of her tweets hit the news again this past week. This time because she called out certain individuals for contributing to the radicalisation of the far-right which has then resulted in another terrorist attack in London. I don’t want to get into whether that conclusion is fair but it did stir up some long-standing feelings that I have about the Media, in particular the printed press. I often wonder, do newspapers even have a place in our world anymore?

In the world we now find ourselves, we are constantly reminded of how much power social media has. It has become a fundamental part of our day to day life, whether you use just one social media platform or several. Of course, there are pros and cons to social media and the impact it has on our lives, most of them highly publicised. One of the potentially pro points is that we are ever connected to what is going on in the world.

Back in the ‘good ole days’ the great masses relied solely on newspapers and town criers to find out what was going on. Straight away it is glaringly obvious to me that with that being the case, the public would have been relying on the newspapers to tell the truth and to also cover the stories that are important. Who decided what was news worthy? Who decided what parts of the story would be told?

And then along came Radio and then TV followed by the internet and now social media. All the while, newspapers have continued to be printed. We have also seen an increase in tabloid newspapers and if anything has remained consistent since those ‘good ole days’ it is that the same questions remain; who decides what is news worthy? Who decides what parts of the story to tell? Of course, we know it is the editor, the owner or in some cases, the shareholders of the newspaper. This applies to all of our news, whether it is on the TV, on the Radio or even the websites we look to for news. For the purpose of this article I am focussing on and referring to the printed media, but my thoughts do apply to all news outlets.

For years now, particularly in the tabloid newspapers, we have seen far darker undertones in our printed press. Cast your minds back to the Hillsborough Disaster. It happened in 1989 and The Sun newspaper launched a monumentally horrific smear campaign towards the football fans and in particular, the people of Liverpool. A campaign, that was totally unjustified, filled with holes and lies. It took the tabloid until 2012 to apologise for what they now refer to as their gravest error. Let that sink in. 23 years! They finally admitted that they told lies. You would think it would have been enough to completely finish the publication off. A ‘newspaper’ which is just making up alternative facts. Surely no one would buy into it? And have they learned anything? It would certainly appear not.

Thankfully, in our world of social media, it is getting harder for tabloids to tell outright lies. We have instant access to check sources and corroborate stories. Of course, caution should always be exercised but it certainly makes it harder for lies to perpetuate but that can only happen if people can be bothered to check stories. Many people out there will buy in to a brand like The Daily Mail, unquestioningly. With more and more people taking up social media it is not an unreal assumption that less are being sold. In fact, in 2016, The Sun sold -41% less publications compared to 2010. The Daily Mail, -25%. The Daily Mirror, -41%. The Daily Express, -42%. The Guardian, -48%. The conundrum for the printed press, is how they can remain relevant in the changing landscape of how we process news. For many years now the media have opted to print and report sensationalist stories, the more outrageous and controversial the better. Whether it is a celebrity scandal or a political viewpoint, their aim is to stir up a wave of feeling amongst the public and ultimately, sell more newspapers.

In the most recent years and in the face of the terrorism that the world finds itself fighting, these tabloids have continued to run sensationalist stories for this end but things have taken a darker turn. The media en-masse and in particular, the printed press, have retaliated to these terrorist attacks with their own vitriolic approach towards specific cultures which they deem to be to blame for the attacks. The headlines that they run have become a daily barrage against a specific religion and how that religion is destroying the British culture and the British way of life. These headlines and stories have been proved to be lies or exaggerations time and time again and yet they continue without recourse or punishment. They continue to peddle what can only be described as hate speech. Designed to manipulate the reader into feeling negatively towards another culture. How ironic that the tabloid media have become hate preachers just like those they claim to oppose. They are doing exactly what these terrorist extremists want. The extremists want the British to turn against other cultures and religions because it serves their purpose. The British media are playing directly into their hands with equally vitriolic rhetoric that is beginning to incite hatred and even violence. I will concede that some tabloids are far worse than others and some do seem to be avoiding the trap of hate.

Yet, here we are and they are getting away with it. It is about time that this media were held accountable for what they publish. I believe that there should be a stronger and more visible non-government body that watches over the press. Just to be clear, I am not talking about destroying freedoms of speech, I'm talking about policing when the media publishes outright lies or conjecture and presents them as facts. I also believe that if they are found to have lied/been incorrect in their reporting, the apology/retraction should cover the same space that the original story did, ie if they publish a story that is a lie and it is a full front page spread, the apology and retraction statement should also be a full front page spread. At the moment, they are allowed to make an apology with just half a column inch buried later in the paper. Never is the apology given the same amount of attention as the original article, but it should be. I know of only one instance where the apology was given the same level of coverage as the original lies and that was The Sun. Their apology for the way in which they covered the Hillsborough disaster was front page news but my word, it took them long enough. My cynical side tells me that this was no true and honest apology. It was simple damage limitation. Apologies and retractions should match the original scope of the headline and this should be the case every single time and not just when the absolute weight of public opinion leaves them very little choice.

It is clear that our media have become incredibly powerful. They are able to sway public opinion for their own end goals. Thankfully that power has waned in the advent of social media but this has not stopped them stepping up their campaign to be more controversial and sensational than ever; No matter who is the victim of their rhetoric. This does not just apply to terrorism and a particular culture either. Look at the reactions surrounding Brexit and the judges were named on the front page of The Daily Mail as 'enemies of the people'. Equally, we have to be wary of what we view on social media because the content can so easily be unverified and easily labelled as 'alternative facts' or 'fake news'.

Tomorrow Never Dies may not be many people’s favourite James Bond movie but I was always particularly intrigued by a media mogul with so much power that he could literally create the events that would be the next day’s headlines. I thought it was somewhat far-fetched back when it was released – yes, all Bond movies are – but now I am not so sure. In fact it was hauntingly prophetic. It is time that we stop allowing us to be led like this. Otherwise we are no different to those that have been radicalised. If we don’t make a stand, we watch our own society become radicalised by our own media...

... Tomorrow Never Lies


CONVERSATION

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